Bookbinding



mm m m MW GB July 10, R945.

Filed June 24,

' INVENTOR. GUY BROWN WISER ATTORNEY Patented July 10, 194-5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOOKBINDING Guy Brown Wiser, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 24, 1942, Serial No. 448,209

25 Claims.

Thi invention relates to books and more particularly to means for binding books and other filler material. 7

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 256,649, filed February 16, 1939, now Patent No. 2,290,663, dated July 21, 1942.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel durable binding adapted to serve as a permanent protective covering for fill-' ers, such as the contents of school or library books.

Another object is toprovide a book binding having side covers and novel means for operatively mounting said covers.

A further object is to provide novel hinge means for pivotally mounting a movable member on a substantially rigid support.

Still another object is to provide a rigid and strong binding for a book, the binding having long wearing qualities which will obviate the necessity for frequent rebinding.

A still further object is to provide a book binding of the above character with novel cushioning or guard means for preventing said binding from marring furniture or other surfaces with which said binding is adapted to come in contact.

, A further object is to provide novel means for nrroiifitingtlfe above guard means in said binding.

Another object is the provision of a novel, substantiall rigid book binding wherein the filler material can be readily secured and which comprises a minimum number of structural parts, which parts can be economically fabricated and assembled by quantity production methods.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description when the same i read in connection with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended to define the limits of the invention, reference for this latter purpose being bad to the appended claims.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several v ews,

Fig. l. is perspective view, with parts broken away and other parts shown in section, of a book binding embodying one form of the present invention. said binding being shown without filler material;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, with parts broken taken substantially along line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the binding with the filler material mounted therein;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View, with parts broken away, of the backbone member of Figs. 1

and 2, showing an alternate method of securing the covers to the hinge;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation view, with parts broken away, of another embodiment of the binding, the latter having novel cushioning means associated therewith;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the backbone member and guard means of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 of still another form of the resent invention embodying suitable eushioning means therefor; and

Fig. 8 is a top plan View, with parts broken away, of the binding of Fig. 7.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, one embodiment of the invention is illustrated as comprising a backbone member 10 of a durable rigid or semirigid material, such as sheet metal or plastic, having a pair of forwardly extending parallel side walls Illa integrally formedtherewith. Extending downwardly between walls lllain a plane perpendi cular to said Walls and spaced from. the rear wall of backbone member ID is a strut mem. ber H, one end of said strut member, as shown,

being integrally formed with'the upper edge of member ill. The other or lower end of said strut member terminates a short distance from the lower edge of backbone member 10 and is held against outward movement by a flap l2 formed at the lower edge of the latter member, said flap folding over the end of said strut, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to mount a desired filler 13, such as the contents of a book, in backbone unit In, H, a

40 sleeve M (Fig. 2) of suitable flexible material, for example, a fabric or rubber composition having a high tensile strength, surrounds strut l l and said filler has the rear face thereof secured to said sleeve in any suitable manner, as, for example,

by a layer of adhesive I5. Sleeve l 4 may be slipped onto strut II over the lower or free end of the latter when said strut is disengaged from flap I2 and is securely held on said strut once said flap is folded into operative engagement with the end of said strut. It is to be understood that strut H may haveone or more vertical slots extending the length thereof so that the sleeve or other support for the filler can be interwoven between the vertical strut portions thus produced in said strut.

Mounted on back bone member In for pivotal movement relative thereto are a pair of covers I6 disposed on opposite sides of filler I3 for the protection thereof. These front and rear, or side covers I6, are preferably formed from a plastic or a plastic impregnated, laminated or fibrous material, it being understood, however, that cardboard, metals or other suitable compositions may also be employed as cover materials.

In order to pivota-lly mount each of covers It on backbone member I0, novel hinge means are provided and, as shown, comprise a plurality of vertically spaced sockets or bearings I1 formed by turning the forward edge of each of walls Illa inwardly and by providing a. plurality of vertically spaced horizontal slots I8 in said edge. Pivotably mounted in sockets I1 is a novel hinge member I9 constituted by a hinge bar or wire in the shape of a conventional fretwork pattern whereby alternate rectangular loops I9a and H11 facing in opposite directions are formed in said member, the vertical portionsof loops I9a being journaled in said sockets. Horizontal portions I9c of member I9, which constitute the common or connecting links between said loops; extend through slots I8, providing a free, pivotal mounting for saidhinge, said slo'ts being of sufficient depth to permit a substantial amplitude of pivotal movement for said hinge member.

Novel means are provided for securin each of covers I6 to its respective hinge member I9 and, as shown, said means comprise a channel member 20 having parallel side walls or plates 20a between which cover I 6 is rigidly fastened by suitable means, such as rivets 2|. of the portion of said cover held between said plates is spaced a sufiicient distance from the bottom of channel member 20 to permit the vertical portions of loops I9?) 01' hinge member I9 to be journaled therein, said channel being 'provided with a plurality of vertical slots or grooves 22 through which portions I90 of said hinge member extend:

As a result of this'construction, hinge member I9 is pivotally mounted in sockets ll of wall Illa and cover I6 is, in turn, secured to said hinge member, thereby providing for free pivotal movement of covers I6 relative to filler I3. Horizontal portions I90 of said hinge are adapted to bear against the sides of grooves I8, and to engage the ends of slots 22, substantially eliminating vertical movement of hinge I9 and of cover I6 and thereby insuring a maximum rigidity for cover I6 in a vertical direction. Backbone unit III, I I together with covers I6 provide a maximum .7

degree of protection for filler l3 while permitting ready use of the latter either for reading or writing. The binding can be economically fabricated and assembled and-imposes no strains or distortive pressures on the filler during assemto side covers I6, said hinge members being pivotally mounted on backbone unit II), II in the same manner as shown in Figs. 1 and 2; In this embodiment, each of covers I6 overlaps loops IBb of the hinge member on which it is sup ported, and said loops are rigidly secured to said The edge I cover by being clamped between the latter and a rigid strip or plate 23, the latter being preferably formed from 'a plastic or metal and fixed to cover I6 by suitable means, such as rivets 24.

It is preferable in this mounting arrangement to have horizontal portions 19c of hinge member I9 somewhat longer than shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in order that a substantial length thereof may be overlapped by cover I6.

It is to be understood that strip 23 may be formed from a flexible material, for example, a fabric or rubber composition, and pressed around loops I9a into contact with the surface of cover I6, being adhesively secured to the latter.

A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 and comprises novel means for fixing a pair of covers I6 (Fig. 5) to hinge I5 as well as novel cushioning or guard means whereby backbone member I0, II can be prevented from contacting and scratching Or otherwisemarring furniture and other surfaces which may support or engage the binding unit during use. As shown in Fig. 5, each of covers I6 is formed-0f a suitable moldable material, such as a thermosetting plastic of the formaldehyde group, and hasloops I91) of hinge member I 9 firmly embedded in the inner edge portion thereof. This. structure is obtained by suitably positioning loops I919 of hinge I9 within the mold in which cover I6 is to be formed and by molding the latter around said loops.

The novel guard means comprise a plurality of cushioning elements 25 of suitable resilient material, such as rubber or leather, mounted at suitable points on backbone unit III and II to project beyond the rear, side, and end surfaces of said unit andthereby engage any surface supporting the binding. As shown, a pair of elements 25- (Fig; 4) are mounted in the upper corners of said backbone unit, preferably in slots or recesses 26 which are formed in said unit by removing a suitable portion of the back and side walls thereof. It is to be understood that a similar pair of elements is located at the lower end of the backbone unit and that an additional pair may be provided intermediate the ends of said unit. Moreover, the elements may be formed in groups greater than two; for example, a third element may be provided intermediate the two elements shown, said. third element projecting from the rear wall of unit I0, I I.

To securely position elements 25 in recesses 26, it is preferable to join theformer by an anchoring strip or member 21 (Figs. 5 and 6), said member being shown integrally formed with said elements and having a thickness which permits the. location thereof between the inner wall of member ID and the adjacent surface of sleeve I4 (Fig. 5). By so disposing strip 21, the latter is securely held in operative position and, in turn,,1orevents removal or dislocation of elements 25, said elements and said strip being thus adapted for ready fabrication as a unit and for ready positioning in the backbone unit during assembly of the latter.

A further modification of the binding is shown in Figs. 7 and Sin which a backbone member III having a curved instead of a flat back wall is provided with a plurality of cushionin elements 25' secured therein by an anchoring member 21 having a curved shape to fit between said rear wall or strut of said backbone member and strut II. In this embodiment, elements 21 are mounted in groups of three, being equally spaced around the rear periphery of said backbone unit and extending through recesses 26' in said unit. It is to be understood, however, that elements 21' may be mounted in groups greater than three in number and that the same may be unequally spaced to better cushion certain areas which are more subject to engagement with other surfaces.

There is thus provided novel binding means for fillers, such as books, which binding means are extremely rugged and are adapted to withstand the severe treatment to which, for example, the bindings of school and'library books are subjected. Although the novel binding may be initially slightly more expensive than a conventional binding, it is of great practical value because it eliminates the necessity for rebinding and thus over a period of time results in great savings, particularly to libraries and schools where heavy expense is periodically incurred by the frequent necessity for rebinding books. There is additionally provided, in combination with the above binding means, novel cushioning or guard means for protecting the surfaces which the binding is adapted to engage, said cushioning means being mounted and constructed in a novel manner so as to permit of ready fabrication and assembly.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the same is notlimited thereto. Various changes may be made in the design and arrangement of parts as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For adefinition of the invention, reference is had primarily'to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a book binding, a 'relatively rigid backbone unit comprising a rear and side walls and an inner strut within said walls, a flexible sleeve secured around said inner strut for supporting a filler within said unit, and side covers disposed on opposite sides of said filler andhingedly secured to the side walls of said backbone unit.

2. In apparatus for pivotably mounting amember on a rigid support, bearing means formed with said support, a fret-shaped hinge member having two sets of oppositely disposed U-shaped loops, one of said sets being pivotably mounted in said bearing means, thelatter having slots therein for receiving the portionsof said hinge member interconnecting successive loops, said portions being adapted to engage the walls of said slots to substantially obviate longitudinal movement of said hinge member, and means for securing the other set of loops to said first-named member.

3. In a book binding, a rigid backbone member comprising a back and side walls, a strut rigidly supported by said member within said walls, a flexible sleeve on said strut, said sleeve being adapted to have a filler mounted thereon, a plurality of cushioning elements mounted in said backbone member to project outwardly beyond the surfaces of the walls thereof, and an anchoring strip rigidly secured to. said elements and held between the rear Wall of said backbone member and said sleeve.

l. In a book binding of the type comprising a rigid backbone member having an inner strut, a plurality of cushioning means mounted on said member, each of said means comprising at least two cushioning elements and an anchoring strip secured to said elements, said strip being held between said strut and the rear wall of, said member, andsaid elements projecting through recesses in said member beyond the back and side surfaces thereof.

5. In a book binding, a rigid backbone member comprising a back and side walls, a strut secured to said member within said walls, a sleeve on said strut for mounting a filler, and a plurality of cushioning means mounted on said member, each of said means comprising at least two cushioning elements and a strip secured to said elements, said strip being held between said sleeve and the rear wall of said member and said elements projecting through recesses in said member beyond the outer surfaces thereof.

6. In a book binding, a rigid backbone member comprising a back and side Walls, a strut secured to said member and extending lengthwise within said walls substantially parallel to said rear wall, a sleeve on said strut for mounting a filler, a fret-shaped hinge pivotably mounted on each of said side walls, a side cover secured to each of said hinges, and cushioning means for said member, said means comprising at least two cushioning elements of yielding material and an anchoring strip formed with said elements, said strip being held between said sleeve and said rear wall, and said elements projecting through recesses in said member beyond the outer side and rear surfaces thereof.

'7.'In apparatus of the class described, a unitary backbone unit comprising a relatively rigid wall member and strut means integral with said member at opposite ends thereof, said means extending for the most part longitudinally of and in spaced relation to one face of said member, a flexible sleeve surrounding said strut means, means for securing a filler to the outer surface of said sleeve, a cover on each side of said filler, and means for operatively securing each of said covers to said backbone unit for hinged movement relative to said filler, said last-named means comprising an elongated element having a plurality of axially-aligned longitudinally-spaced portions having hinged connection with said unit and U-shaped portions connecting said firstnamed portions and operatively connected to one of said covers.

8. In apparatus of the class described, a backbone unit comprising a relatively rigid supporting member, strut means comprising a relatively rigid element rigidly connected to each end of said member, said elements extending throughout the length of said member in spaced relation thereto, a flexible sleeve having a close fit around said strut means, means for securing a filler to said sleeve, a cover for at least one side of said filler, and means for hingedly securing said cover to said member, said last-named means including a single elongated hinge member, said hinge member having two groups of axially-aligned longitudinally-spaced portions, said portions of one group beingparallel to said portions of the other group, and the axially-aligned portions of one of said groups having hinged connection with said supporting member while the axially-aligned portions of the other group are operatively connected with said cover.

9. In apparatus of the class described, two elements, such as a cover and a backbone for a book binding, and-means for hingedly securing said elements together, said means being constituted by an elongated element having a plurality of axially-aligned longitudinally-spaced portions having hinged connection with one of said elements and a plurality of axially-aligned longitudinally-spaced portions alternating with said first-namedportions andbeing operatively connected with the other of said elements, the axes of said first and second named portions being parallel.

'10. In apparatus ofjthe class described, two members having adjacent edges, such as a cover and a backbone of a book binding, and a single elongated element hingedly connecting said mem bers, said element having twogroups of axiallyaligned longitudinally-spaced portions, said portions of one group being parallel to said portions of the other group, the axially-aligned portions of one group having hinged connection with one of said members, and the other of said members being operatively connected with said portions of the other of said groups.

11. In apparatus of the class described, two elements having edges thereof adjacent to one another, such as a cover and backbone of a book binding, and means for hingedly securing the adjacent edges of said elements together, said means being constituted by a single elongated member having two groups of axially-aligned longitudinally-spaced portions, the spaced portions of one group being hingedly connected with one of said elements and the spaced portions of the other of said groups being operatively connected with the other of said elements, the spaced portions of one group being connected to the spaced portions of the other group by intermediate portions'of said member.

12. In apparatus of the class described, two elements adapted to be hingedly connected together and means for securing the adjacent edges of said elementstogether, said means being constituted by a single elongated member, said member having a plurality of axially-aligned longitudinally-spaced portions of circular cross-section freely extending through tubular sockets in one of said elements and a U-shaped portion connecting each pair of said spaced portions, said U-shaped portions being anchored in the other of said elements against movement in the direction of the axes of said first-named portions.

13. In apparatus of the class described, a unitary backbone unitcomprising a relatively rigid wall member and strut means integral with said member-at opposite ends thereof, said means extending for the most part longitudinally of and in spaced relation to one face of said member, a flexible sleeve surrounding said strut means, and means for securing a filler tothe outer surface of said sleeve.

-14. In apparatus of the class described, a unitary backbone unit comprising a relatively rigid wall member and strut means integral with said member at opposite ends thereof, said means extending for the most part longitudinally of and in spaced relation to one face of said member, a flexible sleeve surrounding said strut means, means for securing a filler to the outer surface of said sleeve, a cover on each side of said filler, and means for operatively securing said covers to said backbone unit for hinged movement relative to saidfiller.

15. In apparatus of the class described, a backbone unit comprising a relatively rigid supporting member, strut means comprising a relatively rigid element rigidly connected to each end of said member, said elements taken together extending throughout the length of said member in spaced relation thereto, a flexible sleeve having a close fit around said strut means, and means for securing a filler to said sleeve.

16. In apparatus of the class described, a backbone unit comprising a relatively rigid supporting member, strut means comprising a relatively rigid element rigidly connected to each end of said member, said elements taken together extending throughout the length of said member in spaced relationthereto, a flexible sleeve having a close fit around said strut means, means for securing a filler to said sleeve, a cover on each side'of' said filler, and means for hingedly securing said covers to said member.

17. Apparatus of the class described comprising a unitary member comprising a wall portion, a strip portion extending from one end of said wall portion in spaced relation thereto to a point adjacent the other end of said wall portion and a second strip portion bent into overlapping relation with the free end of said first strip portion, a flexible sleeve extending between said wall portion and said strip portions and surrounding the-latter, and means for securing afiller, such as the pages of a book, to-said sleeve.

18. In a book binding comprising a relatively rigid backbone unit including asupporting member andan inner strut, cushioning means mounted on said unit, said means comprising at least one cushioning element and an anchoring portion secured to said element, said anchoring portion being held between said strut and the adjacent wall of said member, and said element projecting through a recess in said member beyond the outer surface thereof. l

19. In a book bindingor thelike, two elements and means for hingedly mounting one of said elements on the other, said means comprising a fret-shaped hinge member having two sets of oppositely disposed loops, one of said sets of loops being pivotally connected with one of said elements and the other of said sets being secured to the other of said elements, the connecting portions common to successive loops of said hinge member extending through and engaging walls of slots in said one element to fix said hinge against longitudinal displacement relative to said one element. 20. Ina book binding or the like, a pair of members and means for mounting one of said members on the other, said means comprising a fret-shaped hinge having two sets of oppositely disposed channel-shaped loops in a common plane, one of saidsets being pivotally connected with one of said members and the other set being secured to the other of said members.

21'. In a book-binding-or the like, a pair of elements and means for mounting one of said elements on the other of said elements for pivotal movement relative thereto, said means comprising a hinge member having. interconnected channel-shapedloops, successive loops facing in opposite directions, a channel member for securing the loops facing in one direction to said one element and against movement relative to said one element inthe longitudinal direction of said hinge member, and. means carried by said other element constituting a pivotal mount for the loops facing in the other direction.

22. In a book binding or the like, a pair of elements and means for mounting one of said elements on the other, said last-named means comprising a fret-shaped hinge having two sets of oppositely disposed channel-shaped loops, means including a channel member fixed to one of said elements for securing one of said sets to said lastmentioned element and means carried by the other of: said. elements for pivotally mounting the other set of loops, slots being provided in said two last-named means for the arms common to successive loops of said hinge, said arms engaging the walls of said slots to hold said elements against relative movement in the longitudinal direction of said hinge.

23. In apparatus of the class described, two elements and means for mounting one of said elements for pivotal movement on the other of said elements, said means comprising a hinge member having interconnected channel-shaped loops, successive loops facing in opposite directions, means on one of said elements for pivotally mounting the loops which face inone direction, and means including a strip rigidly secured to the other of said elements for clamping the loops facing in the other direction to said other element.

24. In apparatus such as a book binding, a pair of elements and means for mounting one of said elements on the other for pivotal movement relative thereto, said means comprising a hinge member constituted by two sets of oppositely facing channel-shaped loops, one of said sets being pivotally connected With one of said elements and the other set being operatively connected with the other of said elements, the connecting arms common to successive loops being adapted to cooperate with said elements to hold the latter against longitudinal movement relative to each other and to said hinge member in the longitudinal direction of said member.

25. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of elements and means for pivotally connecting said elements, said means comprising an elongated hinge member consisting of a plurality of U-shaped loops, successive loops facing in opposite directions, a strap having slots therein through which the loops facing in one direction extend, the length of each of said slots being substantially equal to the axial extent of the loop received thereby, and means for securing said strap to one of said elements in folded condition for securing said hinge member to said lastnamed element.

GUY BROWN 

